Surah Al-An'aam (6) — Ayah 8

(Ayah 8) ➊ { وَ قَالُوْا لَوْ لَاۤ اُنْزِلَ عَلَيْهِ مَلَكٌ:} This is another objection from the deniers of prophethood: if Allah had to send a messenger to the creation, then instead of a human, it should have been an angel, or an angel should have walked alongside him and said, "This is Allah's messenger, believe in him, otherwise you will be punished."

➋ { وَ لَوْ اَنْزَلْنَا مَلَكًا لَّقُضِيَ الْاَمْرُ … :} This is the first answer. (Razi) Because it has been Allah's way that when any nation demands a miracle from its prophet and it is shown to them, but even after that they do not believe, then they are destroyed. Therefore, if angels had descended in their original form, they would have brought punishment with them and their story would have ended right there. See Surah Al-Hijr (6–8) and Surah Al-Furqan (21, 22).

8. 1. Allah Almighty sent all the prophets and messengers for the guidance and direction of mankind from among humans themselves, and in every nation, one of its individuals was granted revelation and messengership. This was because, without this, no messenger could fulfill the duty of preaching and invitation. For example, if Allah Almighty had sent angels as messengers, firstly, they would not have been able to converse in human language, and secondly, being devoid of human emotions, they would have been unable to understand the various states and feelings of humans in different situations. In such a case, how could they have fulfilled the duty of guidance and direction? Therefore, it is a great favor of Allah Almighty upon humans that He made humans themselves prophets and messengers. Thus, Allah Almighty has mentioned this as a favor in the Noble Quran (لَقَدْ مَنَّ اللّٰهُ عَلَي الْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ اِذْ بَعَثَ فِيْھِمْ رَسُوْلًا مِّنْ اَنْفُسِھِمْ) 3:164 Allah Almighty has bestowed favor upon the believers when He sent a messenger from among themselves. However, the humanity of the prophets remained a cause of astonishment and wonder for the disbelievers; they thought that the messenger should not be from among humans but from among angels, as if, in their view, humanity was not befitting for messengership, just as today’s people of innovation also think the same. تشابھت قلوبھم The people of disbelief and polytheism could not deny the humanity of the messengers because they were familiar with their families, lineage, and everything, but they continued to deny the messengership. Whereas today’s people of innovation do not deny messengership, but due to considering humanity contrary to messengership, they deny the humanity of the messengers. In any case, Allah Almighty is saying in this verse that if, at the demand of the disbelievers, We had sent an angel as a messenger or sent down an angel to confirm this messenger, as is mentioned here, and then they did not believe in him, they would have been destroyed without being given any respite.

And they say, "Why has an angel not been sent down to him?" If We had sent down an angel, then the matter would have been settled [8], and they would not have been given any respite.

[8] This is the answer to the second objection of the disbelievers: why does the angel not descend upon Muhammad ﷺ in his original form, so that we may see him and be convinced, and so that we may know whether the Prophet is truthful in saying that an angel descends upon him? In response to this objection, Allah Almighty said that if the angel were to come in his original form, they would die immediately out of terror; they would not even have the opportunity to believe or deny. Only the Prophets are capable of bearing the sight of an angel in his original form. Accordingly, you ﷺ saw the angel Jibreel in his original form twice. You ﷺ said, "He had six hundred wings, and his size filled the entire horizon." [بخاري۔ كتاب التفسير۔ باب قول الله : __QUR_0__ ] There is no evidence in the hadiths that any other Prophet saw the angel Jibreel in his original form.